The Dorgan Smear
There will be a lot of elephant dust being kicked up to obscure the one-party corruption machine revealed by the Abramoff investigation. A good example of it is this ABC story, unfortunately picked up on the DailyKos, implying that Senator Byron Dorgan is somehow caught up in the Abramoff mess:
New evidence is emerging that the top Democrat on the Senate committee currently investigating Jack Abramoff got political money arranged by the lobbyist back in 2002 shortly after the lawmaker took action favorable to Abramoff's tribal clients.
A lawyer for the Louisiana Coushatta Indians told The Associated Press that Abramoff instructed the tribe to send $5,000 to Sen. Byron Dorgan's political group just three weeks after the North Dakota Democrat urged fellow senators to fund a tribal school program Abramoff's clients wanted to use.
Dorgan represents a state with a lot of Indians. They are also extremely poor, and have few gaming revenues because they don't live near population centers. (Unlike, say, the Lousiana Coushattas.) Dorgan is the ranking Democrat on the Senate Indian Affairs Committee. It's his job -- both as a Senator from North Dakota and as chair of the Indian Affairs committee -- to send a letter to the appropriations committee asking for funding for the Indian programs he thinks are important. If he didn't send a letter requesting funding for the tribal school program, that would be significant.
ABC tries to connect Dorgan to Abramoff in the following way:
Dorgan's letter noted that the Mississippi Choctaw, one of Abramoff's clients, had successfully used the program and requested lawmakers consider long-term funding for it. It made no mention of Abramoff or any of his other tribes that were interested in the program.
Hmm, you might wonder: Why would Dorgan mention an Abramoff client, the Mississippi Choctaw, if he wasn't somehow in bed with Abramoff. Why wouldn't he mention a tribe in his own state? Very suspicious, if not the smoking gun.
Yet there's a perfectly obvious reason: A letter requesting appropriations goes to the chair of the Appropriations Committee. The chair of the Appropriations Committee is one Senator Thad Cochran -- of Mississippi. First rule of appropriations letters is always show how the funds might benefit the appropriator's own state.
This is business as usual and its not even mildly corrupt business as usual. Senators should advocate for programs that help their constituents.
But why would Abramoff instruct a tribe to make a donation to Dorgan (one-fifth the size of the donation to Conrad Burns), in return for a letter that Dorgan surely would have signed anyway? One possibility is that this was a long-planned setup, and Abramoff wanted to make sure that some Democrats were implicated when it all came to late. But I think the answer is more banal. There's a dirty secret about Washington lobbying, which is that half of what lobbyists do is not persuade legislators what to do, but persuade their own clients that they -- the lobbyists -- are indispensable. And that means claiming credit for things that would happen anyway. So one way Abramoff could persuade the Coushatta's that he was earning his keep was to point to letters like Dorgan's, take credit for them, and then tell them to send money to Dorgan. It's a small price to pay to maintain the illusion.
It's no surprise that a lot of Washington reporters don't seem to recognize how extraordinary Abramoff's scam was, because they can't seem to recognize how ordinary Dorgan's actions were. If people can't recognize that distinction, the "everyone does it" defense of Abramoff might be more effective than one would imagine.
Perhaps I nitpick:
unfortunately picked up on the DailyKos
This seems like an odd thing to say. If one of our own does something wrong, it's not unfortunate to call it out.
But, in any case, perhaps you missed the update.
November 29, 2005 1:52 PM | Reply | Permalink
I saw the Dorgan allegations in the Hartford Courant in a wire services report on the story. I was stunned. Josh has the issue covered like a blanket and Dorgan's name never came up...
So we have a broadcast network and a press service (AP I believe...don't hold me to that) who reported as fact what it turns out is a smear attempt on Dorgan. Where the hell "provided" them with the bogus information on Dorgan? And why was it reported without fact checking?
November 29, 2005 1:58 PM | Reply | Permalink
There was also a comment on DailyKos about that somewhat mysterious "lawyer for the Louisiana Coushatta Indians" who provided the information in the first place.
link
Here's the meat of it...
November 29, 2005 2:06 PM | Reply | Permalink
Cochran was NOT the Appropriations chairman in February 2002, when Dorgan wrote his letter. In fact, Republicans didn't even control the Senate then, and Cochran didn't become chairman until this year.
November 29, 2005 2:23 PM | Reply | Permalink
Corporate America, especially “Big Business” along with very wide Political Corruption are involved in major Fraud and much more. They also have direct links to Mob Organizations and Military Corruption, I know because I was in a family for more than 26 years who are part of this. How else could Big Business maintain their profit positions all these years? However, there is something else far more important that needs to be looked at:
The current scandal(s) are linked to many others. They are all part of a huge Criminal Organization that involves:
Three Main Criminal System areas:
- Very Large Wide Scale Political Corruption
- International Drug Distribution
- Very Large Scale Fraud.
Who’s Involved:
- The Mob
- Corrupt Politicians (Top of Federal Area down to Independent Towns)
- Corrupt Military/Pentagon
- Corrupt Corporate America
I have a personal life experience and there are others like me with experience in this system. Please read the following website:
http://bellaciao.org/en/article.php3?id_article=8361
Current news has been nibbling away at this and it’s escalating. The big picture is starting to materialize but the news isn’t linking it all together yet. For me, this has been most interesting to see how long it takes! So far, no one has put it together.
The news is doing well to prepare everyone, however it is complex and difficult to accept. Readers should be advised to have an open mind that a major sized picture is still needed to be understood. Believe me, this is only the tip of the iceberg!
The Corruption/Fraud part extends beyond our shores and involves direct links to the Mob and is linked with those involved from the top of our political structure, corporate structure and Military structure to all the way to the bottom. They are well organized with communication links throughout to monitor and control our ignorance and surface who may be their latest threat.
The ongoing corruption is worse than your worst nightmare. As an example, my home town is Northbrook, IL and corruption here includes members of the Police Department all the way up through the Town Administration. My ex-brother-in-law lives here also and through his membership connection with Organized Crime has committed many murders plus much more. I personally know he has direct connections with corrupt Town officials and Police personal. The connections that allow for setups to steal and harm others will astonish you. I’m in the process of writing more posts to expand what this is, please stay tuned…..
Deep Throat II
November 29, 2005 2:32 PM | Reply | Permalink
From my perspective, this stuff is pretty far down in the weeds and not entirely convincing.
What you see at the 10,000 foot level is that Abramoff was buying influence for indian casino gambling interests, gave money to Republicans and Democrats, and that politicians on both sides did what he wanted. We can speculate about why they did, but that's subject to debate, and the debate turns on minutiae that even a politics junkie like me finds hard to stay interested in.
One of the reason most conflict of interest laws are structured the way they are in the private sector is that it is typically impossible, after the fact, to know why someone did something. You are always guessing, and mixed motives are usually the most likely explanation.
If this scandal really does reflect a difference between the parties, the Democrats will have to make clear what that difference is (a point that I think Mark and Kevin Drum have made elsewhere). Why will it change things to vote in Democrats -- or have we not been corrupt only because we haven't had anything to sell?
November 29, 2005 4:45 PM | Reply | Permalink
Yawn.
It never ceases to amaze me how Democrats get all flustered every time some Republican -- gasp! -- plays politics. "My word, they are saying BAD things about us. How dastardly!"
The GOP has just handed Dorgan the rope to hang them with. Will he? I doubt it, but there is no sense whining about the whole thing.
Dorgan should play this to the hilt: Denounce the attacks on his character. Demand a special prosecutor be appointed to look into the matter. Pledge to take a lie decector test and demand GOP pols do likewise. Remind people that Abramoff is tied to a MURDER investigation and say how any association with him would never happen...too bad the GOP can't say likewise. In short, point the finger right back at the pit of sleaze that is the Congressional GOP leadership.
November 29, 2005 5:01 PM | Reply | Permalink
Is this story another dirty Republican trick? Byron Dorgan's name gets trashed on ABC because ABC did not bother to take five minutes and check Faircloth's story. I cannot believe that ABC is that incompetent.
Count on the Republicans to become more vicious and underhanded now that their backs are against the wall.
On a slightly different note, I found two interesting companies registered to Lovelin Poncho, the tribal chairman of the Coushattas during the Abramoff era.
From 1998 to 2004, Poncho and another Coushatta, Paul J. Rupert were partners with Houston businessman, W. L. Sisson, in LRS Enterprises, Inc. From what I can find out, Sisson is a real estate developer. The two companies I found listed for Sisson were Southcorp Realty Advisors and WLS Interests.
I'd sure like to know what projects two Coushattas and a Houston real estate developer were involved in.
Lovelin Poncho along with two other Coushattas, William Workel and Leonard Battise, are officers of Travron, Inc.. Travron was first registered in Mississippi in 1987 and remains an active corporation. The address is a post office box in Long Beach which is on the Gulf.
Travis Lott is listed along with Glen Rishel as incorporators of Travron. I'm not familiar with Mississippi corporate law so I don't know how an incorporator functions. I do know how a certain senator from Mississippi named Lott functions.
The Coushattas appear to have some business interests that bear further scrutiny.
November 29, 2005 5:19 PM | Reply | Permalink
Neither party really wants the money out of politics. They make too much money as lobbyists and consultants after they retire from office. Both sides are corrupt and We The People are the biggest losers. While I hope Abramoff gets nailed to the wall, I also hope that the Democrats will do more than pretend to be outraged.
November 29, 2005 7:13 PM | Reply | Permalink
Maybe Byron used the Mississippi Choctaw in his letter because they WERE an example of a tribe that had used the program successfully.....and none of the tribes in North Dakota had done so.
Dorgan is my Senator. A couple of things come to mind. First, I'd be surprised if Abramoff hadn't given money to every member of the Indian Affairs Committee. They do that....spread it around to cover all the bases. What you have to look at is the amount. Byron was given $5000....Montana was given $20,000. However, the allegation is that Byron received $95,000 over a 3? year period. I'm wondering if the people who reported this story just looked at Indian money and didn't check to see if the contributions came from Abramoff clients. The tribes here (ND) aren't Abramoff clients, but they do contribute to Dorgan (& they have casinos). They adore him....he's done a lot for them. I think the tibal contributions have to be sorted out.
November 29, 2005 7:18 PM | Reply | Permalink
Two points. A recent poll showed that most Americans barely who Scooter Libby is let alone Jack Abramoff. Second, it is time for the Democrats to come out swing at the Republicans and if necessary the Media. No whining no complaining just fighting back and making sure every Republican wears corrupt around their necks.
November 29, 2005 7:45 PM | Reply | Permalink
Re: Harry Reid. I'm sure the Nevada delegation consistently opposes Indian gaming. It's in competition with their state gambling.
November 29, 2005 9:06 PM | Reply | Permalink
"Nice try." Thats ugly, unnecessary and weak. Receiving donations from "Abramoff clients" doesn't mean he had any contact with Abramoff; it does mean he was and remains opposed to expansion of Indian gaming. As is the tribe that Abramoff ripped off.
Now, why do you think a Senator from Nevada opposes expansion of Indian gaming?
November 29, 2005 10:44 PM | Reply | Permalink
I checked the images of the original monthly filings by Great Western Leadership Fund for all of 2002. On February 6, 2002, the fund received a check for $3,000 from the Mississippi Choctaws. That check was the only one from an Indian tribe in 2002.
The Coushattas did not make a donation in 2002 or the first half of 2003 unless Dorgan is not reporting all of his contributions which I think highly unlikely.
Dorgan sent the letter mentioning the Choctaws in February 2002 so it looks like he probably got the check first and then wrote the letter. I bet the Republicans wanted to highlight this event so they had Jimmy Faircloth make up a story to bring attention to it.
November 29, 2005 11:35 PM | Reply | Permalink
I'm not sure who is behind the website but there is a pretty straightoforward website that lists all political contributions.
One of the posters touched on the fact that in a lot of cases contributions are "spread around" . In cases like that you have to look at the amounts to really understand where the support is really going to.
www.followthemoney.org
November 30, 2005 8:10 AM | Reply | Permalink
campaign. They both have immediate family members working as DC lobbyists.
<a href="http://moneycentral.msn.com/content/CNBCTV/Articles/TV
Reports/P57479.asp"> See a list here.</a>
My feeling is that we need a detailed accounting of to what degree each of our Congresspeople's families are peddling influence. Of course that's not the same as what Cunningham did, but if we are going to paint the R's as the Party of Corruption, we need to get our own house in order.
November 30, 2005 8:12 AM | Reply | Permalink
I have to agree with you. This blog and the media are playing Abramoff client donations to Republicans as corruption and ignoring the donations to Democrats Reid, Dorgan, Landrieu, and Breaux.
Lobbyists, corrupt or not, work both sides of the aisle. Both parties have nothing to brag about in this regard and both should root it out.
If the donation to Dorgan was a "dirty trick" he was and is free to return it.
November 30, 2005 11:38 AM | Reply | Permalink
If you’re only looking at one Indictment or discussing a smear here and there, you’re really missing out on the big picture.
I just modified my BIO. When starting to write, I couldn’t include names. For reasons I can’t disclose, now I’m able to. I’ve also had to use a covert name for a long time but now this is also different. Frankly, I’m thrilled to actually be me!
You can find my story at: http://bellaciao.org/en/article.php3?id_article=8361
There’s still more to write since I have more than 20 chapters with this short version. It’s probably still a little rough but for now this will do.
Marty Didier
December 1, 2005 10:26 AM | Reply | Permalink